YAMAHA HISTORY

The Yamaha brand takes its na

me from its founder, the Japanese Torakusu Yamaha , who already in 1887 built his first musical organ, a craft skill that was the origin of a corporate and multinational group known today for its level of technology, capacity for worldwide production and sales. Yamaha is a company with more than 125 years of history that currently operates with two independent companies, Yamaha Corporation and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Yamaha Corporation, the parent company, is a world leader in the manufacture of audiovisual products, musical instruments, music production tools and new applied technologies; the company has about 20,000 employees and 69 subsidiaries around the world. The company was founded in 1897 under the name of Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. with a registered capital of 100,000 yen. In 1900 Nippon Gakki began the production of wall pianos. In 1949 the company began to be listed on the Tokyo stock market, a milestone that marks the beginning of an unstoppable process of diversification of the brand towards new products and technological applications. In 1954, Yamaha manufactured its first HiFi Audio player. One year later, in 1955, Yamaha created Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. as an independent company. The company is founded from a Split of the Corporation's Motorcycle Division. Genichi Kawakami was appointed the first president of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is today a world reference in its sector. With nearly 57,000 employees worldwide, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. currently produces all types of motorcycles, water and snow scooters, outboards, ATVs and off-road vehicles, golf cars, bicycles, generators. and other advanced technologies for domestic, agricultural and industrial use.

ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE YAMAHA BRAND

The graphics of the Yamaha brand dates back to 1898 with the design of the first Nippon Gakki Co. Ltd. Logo used on musical organs: a Hou-ou, a phoenix of Chinese origin, carrying a tuning fork in its mouth. The Hou-ou is a mythical bird of luck, an animal that has always been venerated in China along with the Kylin (imaginary fire horse), turtles and dragons. His appearance is thought to herald the arrival of an emperor of holy virtues. The front part resembles a Kylin and the back part resembles a deer; the neck of serpent, rear portion of turtle and the tail of fish; Hoo feathers feature a five-colored crest. The Hou-ou was introduced in Japan in the Asuka period, mid 6th century; the hou-ou became a common decorative motif as early as the end of the 8th century, during the Nara period. It used to be represented perched on a paulonia (Chinese parasol, the aogiri), surrounded by bamboo or Chinese arabesque foliage. A tuning fork is also just a tool for controlling musical instruments. It was invented with the trumpeter John Shore (1662-1751). The tuning fork Is Made up of neck attached to the Guts of a U-shaped steel pole. Striking the rod generates sound and the frequency per second of the resulting vibrations is used to tune the musical instrument. The 3 tuning forks from the Yamaha brand symbol represent that the 3 columns where the organization's firm breaks: technology, sales and production. They also evoke the robust vibrancy that has built the company's reputation for sound and music around the world, a territory represented by the circle it encompasses. The brand also symbolizes the three essential musical elements: melody, harmony and rhythm. From this first logo, the history of the design of the Yamaha brand is practically parallel to its diversification as a manufacturer. We collect below just a sample of this graphic evolution over time.

1898 First logo of Nippon GAKKI Co., Ltd. Bird Phoenix of Chinese origin, the Hoo, a majestic bird symbol of good luck and spiritual virtues, carries a tuning fork in its mouth; illustrates the philosophy of its founder towards the highest quality, it was used as a brand on the organs.

1927 The upright piano and Yamaha Veneer brand is created

1934 Design commonly used in press advertisements and catalogs.

1937 Brand design specific to wall pianos

1967 The Yamaha logo is established

1987 The company turns 100 and the Yamaha lettering is emphasized to commemorate the centenary, temporarily without a symbol . More information at yamaha.com